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5 Kroner Great Norwegian Spitsbergen Coal Company
| Issuer | Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap |
|---|---|
| Year | 1973 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | White note with an all-over green letterpress underprint composed of the repeated text 'STORENORSKESPITSBERGENKULKOMPANI' forming the background across the entire face. The central legend 'FEM KRONER' is printed in large bold black letterpress, flanked by the numeral '5' on each side, with the issuer's name 'Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap' above in bold black type. The series designation 'Serie Qq (1973)' appears at upper left and the serial number at upper right, with two manuscript signatures at the lower portion above the printed titles 'Styrets formann' and 'Kontorsjef, Spitsbergen'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain white surface covered entirely by the same all-over green letterpress underprint of the repeated text 'STORENORSKESPITSBERGENKULKOMPANI', with no additional printed text or vignette. A large watermark numeral '5' is visible at centre, formed by the interruption of the underprint pattern. |
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| Comments |
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani — better known as SNSK — operated the Norwegian mining settlements on Svalbard, and for decades the company ran its own internal economy there. Longyearbyen was effectively a company town: workers were paid in company scrip, which could only be spent at company-run stores and facilities. Norwegian currency was technically valid on the archipelago, but the scrip system kept money circulating within the operation and simplified logistics on an island group 78 degrees north.
By 1973 this practice was already an anachronism, and SNSK wound down the scrip system shortly afterward. Surviving notes are reasonably common — they were kept as souvenirs by miners who understood they were witnessing the end of something.